Change in how towns formed? House candidate drafting bill to update state law
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County Commissioner John Price questions the timeline of getting a jail expansion project on the ballot during a meeting Monday night at Scott Hall.
The debate about a town of Center Grove might lead to a change in state law.
A state lawmaker candidate said the town proposal has shown that the state law about how to form a town is outdated. Johnson County Commissioner John Price, who is a state representative candidate, said if elected he’d try to change state law to require a yes-or-no public vote because of the magnitude of the decision.
Other local state lawmakers said they’d be open to the idea of a referendum instead of a vote by the majority of the county commissioners.
State Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, said Price’s proposal had merit and that he thought residents should vote on property tax increases, including for a new town government. State Rep. David Frizzell, R-Indianapolis, said he generally favored giving people more of a voice but didn’t have any proposals planned.
Residents have expressed concerns about not having the opportunity to vote on the proposal to create a town of about 27,000 residents in White River Township. Opponents said the remonstrance process is unfair because they can collect signatures only from one property owner per household and renters aren’t allowed to have a say. They also said they’re forced to gather far more signatures than supporters because the current law is aimed at incorporating much smaller communities.
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